Social media exposure and the relationship between materialistic values and deviant behaviour among Ekiti State University students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38140/ijer-2026.vol8.2.07Keywords:
Social media exposure, materialistic values, deviant behaviour, university students, youth behaviour, digital media influenceAbstract
Social media platforms often expose users to idealised lifestyles, luxury consumption, and status-oriented content, which may subsequently shape attitudes towards material possessions and success. This study investigated the relationship between social media exposure and the development of materialistic values and deviant behaviour among students at Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. The research assessed the levels of social media exposure, the extent of materialistic value orientation, and the prevalence of deviant behaviour among the students. A descriptive survey research design was employed for this study. The population comprised all students of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, and a purposive sample of 300 students was selected. Data were gathered through a structured questionnaire comprising four sections: socio-demographic information, social media exposure, materialistic values, and deviant behaviour. The instrument demonstrated internal consistency, yielding a reliability coefficient of 0.82. Data collection was conducted via online administration using Microsoft Forms. Descriptive statistics were utilised to analyse the research questions, while Pearson product-moment correlation was employed to test the hypotheses. The findings indicated that students experienced a high level of social media exposure. Furthermore, the study revealed that materialistic values existed among the respondents at a moderate-to-high level, while deviant behavioural tendencies were present at a moderate level. Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between social media exposure and both materialistic values and deviant behaviour among the students. The study concluded that social media exposure is significantly associated with materialistic attitudes and behavioural tendencies among university students.
References
Aknin, L. B., Wiwad, D., & Hanniball, K. B. (2018). Buying well-being: Spending behaviour and happiness. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 12(5), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12386
Ahmed, S., Foulkes, L., Leung, J. T., Griffin, C., Sakhardande, A., Bennett, M., & Blakemore, S. J. (2020). Susceptibility to prosocial and antisocial influence in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 84, 56–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.07.012
Bindah, E. V., & Othman, M. N. (2012). The effect of peer communication influence on the development of materialistic values among young urban adult consumers. International Business Research, 5(3), 2–14.
Chae, J. (2018). Explaining females' envy toward social media influencers. Media Psychology, 21(2), 246–262.
Chaplin, L. N. (2014). Poverty and materialism: A look at impoverished versus affluent children. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 33(1), 78–92.
Denegri, M., Peñaloza, V., Sepúlveda, J., & Riquelme, L. (2022). Relations between materialism, attitudes towards money, peer influence and satisfaction with life in Chilean adolescents. Revista CES Psicología, 15(1), 68–95. https://dx.doi.org/10.21615/cesp.5703
Harnish, R. J., Bridges, K. R., Gump, J. T., & Carson, A. E. (2019). The maladaptive pursuit of consumption: The impact of materialism, pain of paying, social anxiety, social support, and loneliness on compulsive buying. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 17(6), 1401–1416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-018-9883-y
Huang, C., Li, C., Zhao, F., Zhu, J., Wang, S., Yang, J., & Sun, G. (2023). Parental, teacher and peer effects on the social behaviours of Chinese adolescents: A structural equation modelling analysis. Brain Sciences, 13, 191. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13020191
Isham, A., Verfuerth, C., Armstrong, A., Elf, P., Gatersleben, B., & Jackson, T. (2022). The problematic role of materialistic values in the pursuit of sustainable well-being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3673. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063673
Jaspers, E. D., Pandelaere, M., Pieters, R. G., & Shrum, L. (2023). Materialism and life satisfaction relations between and within people over time: Results of a three-wave longitudinal study. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 33(3), 591–601. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1350
Karabati, S., & Cemalcilar, Z. (2010). Values, materialism, and well-being: A study with Turkish university students. Journal of Economic Psychology, 31(4), 624–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2010.04.007
Kasser, T. (2016). Materialistic values and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 67(1), 489–514.
Lučić, A., Uzelac, M., & Previšić, A. (2021). The power of materialism among young adults: Exploring the effects of values on impulsiveness and responsible financial behaviour. Young Consumers, 22(2), 254–271. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-09-2020-1213
Maras, P., Moon, A., Gupta, T., & Gridley, N. (2015). The role of materialism on social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties for British adolescents. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 20(4), 362–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2014.989055
Moschis, G. P., Ong, F. S., Mathur, A., Yamashita, T., & Benmoyal-Bouzaglo, S. (2011). Family and television influences on materialism: A cross-cultural life-course approach. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 5(2), 124–144. https://doi.org/10.1108/15587891111152302
Oluwagbohunmi, M. F. (2021). Materialistic tendency among students in Ekiti State University, Nigeria. Social Science Education Journal (SOSCED-J), 5(1), 53–60.
Pérez de Albéniz-Garrote, G., Medina-Gómez, M. B., & Buedo-Guirado, C. (2021). Compulsive buying in adolescents: The impact of gender and alcohol and cannabis use. Sustainability, 13, 3982.
Richins, M. L. (2017). Materialism pathways: The processes that create and perpetuate materialism. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 27(4), 480–499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2017.07.006
Spasova, L., & Gundasheva, Z. (2019). Psychological models for attitudinal and persuasion changes in consumer behaviour. Trakia Journal of Sciences, 17(Supplement 1), 838–846. https://doi.org/10.15547/tjs.2019.s.01.138
Yu-Ting, H., & Qing-Qi, L. (2020). Passive social network site use and adolescent materialism: Upward social comparison as a mediator. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 48(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.8833
Yue, L., Zeng, X., & Li, J. (2024). The effect of materialism on unethical behaviour: The mediating role of self-control. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 27(4), 844–855. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12642
Zeng, W., Wang, Y., Cui, L., & Feng, N. (2025). Materialistic tendencies lead to less empathy from others. Behavioral Sciences, 15(5), 577. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15050577
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Olubunmi Adebola Olanipekun, Damian Kehinde Adebo, Dolapo Toluwalope George-Onoko
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
